South Yorkshire man takes Bluebell Wood global by competing at the Barcelona Marathon

Stephanie Bateman

One man from Wales in Rotherham is helping put Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice on the map, as he prepares to take on the Barcelona marathon on Sunday March 12.

Phil Cooper will be donning Bluebell Wood’s iconic purple vest for his first ever marathon, which he hopes will raise much needed funds for the 250 children and families who are supported by the hospice.

Phil decided to fundraise for Bluebell Wood a few years ago after his father started supporting the charity. Although he has never run a marathon before, Phil said he was excited for the upcoming challenge:

“Running the Barcelona marathon is a great chance to raise as much money as possible for my favourite UK charity in my favourite European city. I’ve been running for quite a while now but it’s been my dream to run a marathon, and I’m so proud I can complete my first one for Bluebell Wood.”

Phil visited the hospice in December and it meant a lot to him to be able to see how his support could make a difference. He said: “Bluebell Wood is amazing – I was taken aback when I visited. I had a brief understanding about what they did, but coming in and seeing how great it is was a fantastic experience.”

Bluebell Wood cares for children and young adults with life-shortening and life-threatening conditions; and their families. Their support includes end of life care, short breaks, music therapy, counselling, sibling support, home visits and more.

Helen Mower, Head of Fundraising at Bluebell Wood, said: “We’d like to wish Phil all the best in Barcelona – it means a lot to us that he’ll be completing his first ever marathon for Bluebell Wood.

“Thanks to Phil’s incredible fundraising, we can continue to help our children and families live with lots of love and laughter and create special memories they can treasure together.”

There’s still time to support Phil’s fantastic fundraising, so please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/philipcooper2 to make a donation. You can also keep track of Phil’s progress on Bluebell Wood’s twitter page at @BluebellWoodCH.

To find out how you can help Bluebell Wood make more memories for the 250 children they care for, both in the community and at their hospice, please visit www.bluebellwood.org. You can also contact the Fundraising team to discover more about their local and overseas events on 01909 517 365.